French and Theatre Studies (BA) (Full-Time, 2020 Entry)

French and Theatre Studies (BA)

French and Theatre Studies (BA) allows you to develop an in-depth knowledge of French language and culture while also exploring theatre and performance studies. You benefit from the full range of expertise on offer in both departments, including cultural and historical modules in the School of Modern Languages, and specialisms in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies in historiography, national theatre cultures, and performance that intervenes in public discourse.

Please note, we have made a change to the entry requirements for this course. It is therefore very important that you check this page for the latest information before you apply and prior to accepting an offer.

As a French and Theatre Studies student, you benefit from the full range of expertise on offer in both departments. You'll be able to explore the extraordinary breadth and depth of French and Francophone language and culture in collaboration with recognised experts, studying the French language through and alongside the historical, cultural, geographical, and political contexts in which French is spoken across the world. In the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, you will work with specialists in historiography, national theatre cultures, and theatre and performance that intervenes in public discourse, city life, and technological change.

You’ll spend your second or third year abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning.

Enabling you to follow your passion in the Arts, we are awarding Scholarships of £1,000 to home/UK students who achieve AAA or above, or equivalent qualifications if you start your course in 2020 and you have applied through UCAS, adjustment or clearing.

In your first year, you will take language classes designed to develop your knowledge and understanding of written and spoken French. You will also take the core module The Story of Modern France, where you will examine primary texts from major periods and events in French history, literature, and politics; you will choose one further first-year module in French. You will also have two core Theatre Studies modules.

In your intermediate and final years, in addition to core and optional modules in Theatre Studies, you will go on to further develop your French language skills. You will also have an opportunity to develop your own particular interests by choosing from a wide selection of modules offered by French specialists that cover a broad range of subjects in French culture, society, literature, politics, philosophy, film, and history. You can also opt to study some of our interdisciplinary cross-School modules.

We employ a variety of teaching styles, including: lectures; seminars of about 15 students, in which the emphasis is on student participation; and written and spoken language classes in small groups. You will spend the rest of your time studying independently, preparing for classes, reading and analysing materials set for study, writing essays and working on your language skills.

We will track your progress through language assignments, essays, presentations, portfolio submissions and examinations (written and oral). Throughout your course you will receive detailed, personalised feedback to help you to improve your skills.

The final degree classification is determined by your intermediate- and final-year marks; each of these years contributes 50%.

Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school

Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country

On a work placement

Currently, the most popular option is to work as a language assistant teaching English since the posts are reasonably well-paid and they help you integrate into the community fairly quickly. Most students apply through the British Council's English Language Assistant scheme during the first term of their second year at Warwick.

BTEC: Applicants studying a BTEC qualification(s) alongside A level French will be considered. A typical offer would be to obtain either D in a BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate and grades A,B in two A levels including French or D* in the BTEC and grades B,B in two A levels including French

Contextual data and differential offers Warwick may make differential offers to students in a number of circumstances. These include students participating in the Realising Opportunities programme, or who meet two of the contextual data criteria. Differential offers will be one or two grades below Warwick’s standard offer (to a minimum of BBB).

Warwick International Foundation Programme (IFP)
All students who successfully complete the Warwick IFP and apply to Warwick through UCAS will receive a guaranteed conditional offer for a related undergraduate programme (selected courses only). For full details of standard offers and conditions visit the IFP website.

Interviews We do not typically interview applicants. Offers are made based on your UCAS form which includes predicted and actual grades, your personal statement and school reference.

Open Days All students who have been offered a place are invited to visit. Find out more about our main University Open Days and other opportunities to visit us.

Year One

Modern French Language 1

You will deepen your understanding of French grammar and syntax with the help of tutors experienced in facilitating the transition from A-level to university-level competence. You will learn appropriate technical vocabulary and handle complex structures. You will develop the skills required to produce authentic and accurate translations of journalistic material from French to English. Finally, writing in formal French introduces you to the structures and methods used to debate ideas on contemporary issues. You will increase your reading and comprehension skills and develop your ability to exploit texts for vocabulary, idioms, syntax and grammatical structures. Working with a native speaker in small groups, you will discuss topics on contemporary French culture and society, using audio, video and text resources.

The Story of Modern France

Why is modern France obsessed by the past? What are the milestones in the creation of modern France? How have notions of France and Frenchness been shaped through the stories told about them? These are some of the questions you’ll explore through close reading of primary sources from major periods and events in French history. You’ll be guided on your journey by a range of materials, from the cartoons of May 1968 to prints dating back to the French Revolution, and from stories of Charlemagne to films and texts reflecting France’s ongoing preoccupation with its (often controversial) recent past. Equipped with these foundations, you will be well prepared to study further aspects of French and Francophone culture in the later stages of your degree.

Theatre and Performance in Context

This module introduces key concepts in theatre and performance studies, uncovering what theatre and performance can tell us about our cultures, societies and identities. These understandings are applied to case studies from around the world, which include ‘canonical’ events and alternative practices, both from within theatres and beyond them. The module hones your academic writing, research and presentation skills, which will serve you throughout your degree.

From Text to Performance

Through practical exploration of a number of selected plays and texts, in this module you will investigate the process of taking material from page to stage or performance, and the relationship between theory and practice. You will have the opportunity to experiment practically with realising multiple texts in performance, considering aspects such as staging, genre, narrative structure, performance strategies, dramaturgical thinking and directorial conceptualization, as well as the changing role and function of the audience.

Intermediate Year^

In years 2 and 3, 50% of the modules you take are required to be from the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies.

Modern French Language 2

You will consolidate and develop the productive and receptive language skills you acquired in your first year. By the end of the course, you should have appropriate knowledge of vocabulary and syntactic and grammatical structures to produce written French in two prescribed genres. You will develop your skills in translation to and from French, with a focus on specific translation problems, and increase the accuracy with which you use grammatical structures. In spoken French, you will comprehend and produce structured spoken French on a range of topics of contemporary significance in the context of simulated scenarios.

Optional Modules

Final Year

Modern French Language 3

You will consolidate and develop your ability to write and speak confidently and at a level of intellectual sophistication in correct French. By the end of the course, you should be able to produce a structured written argument on a topic related to your intellectual interests or of cultural concern, in French that is grammatically correct, idiomatic, varied in vocabulary and grammatical structure, and in an appropriate register. You should be able to translate from French to English and English to French accurately, using your detailed knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and idiom, and employing an appropriate register. You will strengthen your skills in pronunciation and intonation and demonstrate these through fluent oral presentation and discussion of an intellectually serious topic.

Optional Modules

Graduates from these courses have gone on to work for employers including: Amazon, British Airways, Civil Service, Grayce Consulting, HM Revenue and Customs, HSBC, Ipsos Mori, Lidl, NBC Universal, Save the Children International and The Department for International Trade.

They have pursued careers such as: business and financial project management professionals; chartered and certified accountants; financial accounts managers; human resources and industrial relations officers; management consultants and business analysts; public services associate professionals, teachers and other educational professionals.

Helping you find the right career

Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant who works within Student Careers and Skills to help you as an individual. Additionally your Senior Careers Consultant offers impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events, tailored to our department, throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:

What are you doing after Warwick? Career planning for final year language students

Careers in the Public Sector

Warwick careers fairs throughout the year

Completing effective CVs and Application Forms for students from the School of Modern Languages

BTEC: Applicants studying a BTEC qualification(s) alongside A level French will be considered. A typical offer would be to obtain either D in a BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate and grades A,B in two A levels including French or D* in the BTEC and grades B,B in two A levels including French

Additional course costsThere may be costs associated with other items or services such as academic texts, course notes, and trips associated with your course. Students who choose to complete a work placement will pay reduced tuition fees for their third year.

This information is applicable for 2020 entry.

Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our terms and conditions to find out more.